The recent release of Adolescence, a drama exploring teen violence and online radicalization, alongside the tragic riots following a devastating incident in Southport have thrown a glaring light on a concerning issue: we’re not listening closely enough to what’s happening online — and the consequences are becoming too dangerous to ignore.
Adolescence: A Fiction That Feels Uncomfortably Real
Adolescence goes beyond being just a scripted drama echoing the famous dystopian Black Mirror series. Instead, it serves as a haunting reflection of our world where digital toxic bubbles increasingly impact our lives. The series follows 13-year-old Jamie Miller, whose life is consumed by online content that twists his reality as he attempts to navigate teenagehood and find a sense of self. While he navigates the toxic influence of digital platforms, his emotions eventually turn to rage, ultimately culminating in violence.
What makes this fictional story especially chilling is how closely it mirrors real-world phenomena. Moreover, the response to Adolescence has been rapid and passionate. Debates now rage across platforms like TikTok, Reddit, and X, with viewers discussing the show’s portrayal of online culture. Additionally, schools have adopted the series as a conversation starter, while educators seek to unpack its underlying themes. Furthermore, politicians are weighing in too, reflecting growing concern about the internet’s impact on today’s youth.
However, what Adolescence really calls attention to is a deeper anxiety. How much of what’s happening online is affecting young minds? More critically, how would we even know when something’s going wrong? If a show like Adolescence can spark such intense debate, it consequently begs the question — are we truly listening to the digital signals our society is sending?
As The Guardian notes, the show’s unflinching portrayal of online radicalization resonates with viewers. They see a direct correlation between digital culture and teenage disillusionment. This isn’t a story detached from reality. Rather, it’s playing out in real-time across social media platforms, which are spaces where young people shape their identities in environments ripe for both constructive engagement and harmful influence.
The UK Riots: A Preventable Breakdown
The UK riots of 2024, sparked by a tragic event in Southport, further demonstrate the dangers of neglecting online signals. Following the death of three people at a Taylor Swift event, a flood of misinformation quickly spread across social media. Claims falsely identified the perpetrator, Axel Rudakubana, as an Islamist migrant, thus fueling racist anger and consequently resulting in widespread unrest.
The subsequent report into the riots was stark in its assessment. Authorities were clearly not prepared for the speed at which misinformation spread online. Although the narrative around Rudakubana was quickly debunked, the damage had already been done. As a result, communities were torn apart, and the chaos had already unfolded.
The review offered a blunt conclusion: “The disorder was predictable — the online warning signs were there. We just weren’t ready.” This represented not merely a policing failure. Instead, it reflected a failure to understand, in real-time, the powerful undercurrents of public sentiment and the risks associated with unchecked misinformation.
As The Independent reported, misinformation on platforms like X and TikTok fueled tension by misrepresenting the incident. Consequently, this incited hostility against immigrant communities. Hence, it points to a critical failure in utilizing online monitoring systems and highlights the need for preemptive measures to spot such dangers before they spiral.
The Growing Gap: Are We Listening?
What ties these two events together is the glaring gap between what’s happening online and how effectively institutions are listening. Despite its problems, social media has now become the primary space where public discourse occurs. Additionally, it’s where public opinion takes root, where misinformation circulates, and furthermore, where emerging threats begin to manifest.
For the first time in history, we possess the ability to monitor public conversations at scale. Nevertheless, rather than seeing this as an opportunity to understand society’s state, we often treat it as background noise. Consequently, we react when it’s too late. Whether it’s a tragedy waiting to happen or the rise of harmful ideologies, the early warning signs are frequently already visible online.
Therefore, we must confront this question: Can we afford to keep ignoring the signals? Moreover, what will it take for us to listen more effectively?
A Harvard Kennedy School report on social media’s role in public safety emphasizes a crucial insight. Specifically, failing to understand nuanced shifts in public opinion—especially during unfolding crises—results in inadequate preparation and response. Although social media data could be harnessed more effectively to prevent escalations before they occur, we are still largely reactive rather than proactive.
Why Listening Is Essential
There’s a compelling reason this issue is so urgent. Online platforms have evolved beyond mere places for casual conversation. Instead, they’ve become spaces where movements gain momentum, where people’s frustrations are amplified, and subsequently, where dangerous ideologies can take root. The consequences of ignoring these signals are undeniably clear. Hence, the real question is whether we can identify and respond to them before they lead to harm.
Currently, we have powerful tools at our disposal to track and understand online discourse. We can listen at scale, assess public sentiment, and spot early signs of radicalization, hate speech, or misinformation. Yet these tools are often underutilized or treated with suspicion. Rather than approaching them as tools for understanding society’s pulse, we’ve unfortunately been reactive instead of proactive.
According to The Atlantic, the rise of extremist narratives online is often fueled by algorithms that prioritize engagement over accuracy. Consequently, this has led to the amplification of polarizing and radical ideologies, which are then normalized in online spaces. Therefore, social listening tools can help track and assess such movements in their early stages, thereby helping mitigate their impact before they spill into violence or division.
Why This Matters
Listening to online conversations offers society unique opportunities:
Preventing Violence: By spotting early signs of radicalization or misinformation, we can therefore intervene before these signals escalate into real-world harm.
Crisis Prevention: Understanding public sentiment in real-time helps us respond quickly and accurately to emerging issues. As a result, we don’t have to wait for them to spiral out of control.
Improving Public Services: Furthermore, social listening can highlight where societal needs are not being met, thus guiding more effective and responsive interventions.
We’ve reached a critical point where simply reacting to crises is no longer sufficient. Instead, we need to understand what’s happening beneath the surface of public opinion and subsequently take action based on real insights, not assumptions or outdated data.
A Thoughtful Way Forward
Rather than framing this as mere recommendations, we must view this as a necessary shift in how we engage with the digital world. To address the challenges posed by online discourse, we must accordingly adopt a more thoughtful, responsible approach to media intelligence:
Invest in Ethical Media Intelligence: Tools for social listening should be used not to monitor or control, but rather to foster understanding and guide responsive action.
Collaborate Across Sectors: Public institutions, tech companies, NGOs, and academics need to work together collaboratively. Consequently, they must build frameworks that respect privacy while ensuring timely interventions.
Promote Digital Literacy: Additionally, society must help individuals—particularly young people—navigate the complexities of the digital world. Therefore, we must teach them the importance of critical thinking and information verification.
The Risk Is Real — And So Is the Opportunity
While Adolescence might be fiction, it’s nonetheless rooted in very real fears. In contrast, the Southport riots weren’t fictional at all, but rather a painful consequence of a society too slow to respond to emerging threats. Together, these events show us that the digital world isn’t some distant, detached space. On the contrary, it’s where real-world violence is now starting.
We can no longer afford to treat online discourse as mere noise. Therefore, if we want to prevent violence, reduce radicalization, and better understand societal needs, we must start listening actively. Indeed, we need to start listening now.